Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says talk among some conservative Christians to back a third-party candidate if the GOP nominates someone who supports abortion rights suggests that front-runners aren't connecting with the party's base.

"I think it says about the media-anointed front-runners that there's some dissatisfaction...That's why I'm in the race," Huckabee told reporters before a private fundraiser Tuesday. "If you look at some of the people who maybe have a lot of money but their ideas don't resonate with the Republican base voters, so it's not surprising."